~ An appreciation of James Maltons "Picturesque and Descriptive View of the City of Dublin"

02/25 – The Parliament House

“Be it enacted that the right claimed by the people of Ireland to be bound only by laws enacted by his Majesty and the Parliament of that kingdom”
With these words the British Parliament in 1783 largely transferred government of Ireland from London to the Irish Parliament in Dublin. Still subjects of King George III, but King George wearing his crown of the Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland would have a semblance of independence.

Constructed between 1729 and 1739 the Irish Houses of Parliament, containing the Lords and Commons chambers, was the world’s first purpose built parliament building. Design of the building was given to Edward Pearce and featured an octagonal House of Commons covered with a large dome. Sidelined was the House of Lords. Sadly a fire in 1790s destroyed the House of Commons and collapsed the dome. The commons was rebuilt without the dome and was re-opened in 1796.

It’s zenith as a Parliament would be Grattens Parliament between 1783 and 1800. With the on-going “American War of Independence” and “Anglo-Dutch War” Britain feared unrest in Ireland.
Maltons “The Parliament House. November 1793” The Irish politician Henry Gratten used this to wrestle powers away from the British Parliament, but with the resolution of those wars; revolutionary fever reaching France and a failed Irish rebellion in 1798, Britain decided that it needed more not less control. In 1799 the vote on the Act of Union, which would have voted the parliament out of existence and seeded control to London, was defeated 109 votes to 104. In 1800, with accusations of bribery, the Act was voted on again and this time passed 158 to 115.

The building was bought in 1803 by the Bank of Ireland as it’s new headquarters. Severely remodeled inside, partly at the behest of the British Government so that it could never be used as a parliament again, it has remained as a working bank to this dayBank of Ireland, 2013